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Issues in Biological Conservation

Level: Open to students entering grades 11 or 12 or freshman year of college in fall 2013.

Session: II, July 16-August 2, 2013

Days & Time: Monday-Friday, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM and 2:00-4:00 PM

Instructor(s): Kevin J. Olival,

Prerequisites: One year of high school biology

Related Courses: Students interested in this course might also be interested in Explorations in Genetics and Molecular Biology or Sustainable Urbanization: New Designs for the Future City.

"This course provided a very informative compendium of biological conservation, which only amplified my passion for it. The teachers were very nice and engaging."

- Caleb Gordon, 2012

Course Description

Designed for students with a background in biology, this program investigates some of the exciting developments in the new field of conservation biology. Topics include: what is biodiversity, why is it threatened, and why is it important?; habitat alteration and species loss; captive breeding as a conservation tool; conservation genetics; protected areas; the effects of exotic species in local ecosystems; basic computer modeling for ecology; conservation medicine; and the impact of global warming on ecosystems and wildlife.

Class lectures are supplemented with several field trips to sites in the New York area, including Central Park and Black Rock Forest (a two-night camping trip). Students also visit area institutions that address conservation—the American Museum of Natural History, the Bronx Zoo, and/or the New York Botanical Garden--to see behind-the-scenes research and talk with professionals in the field of conservation biology.

The program is presented in conjunction with the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, a consortium based at Columbia University that includes the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanical Gardens, the Wildlife Conservation Society (Bronx Zoo), and the Wildlife Trust.

Instructor(s)

Kevin J. Olival

Dr. Kevin Olival holds a Ph.D. in ecology, evolution, and environmental biology and an M.A. in conservation biology from Columbia University. He is currently a senior research fellow at EcoHealth Alliance (formerly known as Wildlife Trust), a non-profit organization based in New York City that focuses on international work bridging the gap between wildlife and human health. Before joining EcoHealth Aliance, Dr. Olival worked as a post-doctoral research scientist at the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Olival has taught graduate-, undergraduate-, and high school-level conservation biology courses over the past eight years. He has thirteen years of on-the-ground and academic experience in the field of biological conservation. Some of his relevant research includes conservation of endangered Hawaiian tree snails, global analysis of freshwater and terrestrial protected areas, fruit bat conservation, malarial parasites in non-human species, and the ecology and evolution of emerging diseases – with a focus on tropical bats and viruses shared with humans. Dr. Olival is deeply committed to integrating science with public policy and he strives to make the complex material of biological science accessible and fun for students of all ages.

Specific course information, such as hours and instructors, are subject to change at the discretion of the University.